Geek Squad Gets Slapped With Restraining Order

You'd think that a mega-corporation would know better than to use unlicensed software. But if employee reports are true then Best Buy's Geek Squad committed a major faux pas that has landed the company in some very hot water.

Winternals, makers of the hugely popular ERD Commander system recovery software, told a federal district judge that Geek Squad was reportedly using unlicensed (pirated) copies of its software to fix the computers of its customers. The revelation came from employees of Geek Squad during training sessions at Winternals.

Geek Squad had previously entered into negotiations with Winternals in October 2005 to acquire licenses to use ERD Commander but abrutly ended the negotiations in February 2006 saying the company was no longer interested in licensing the product.

Upon hearing the complaint U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks issued a temporary restraining order against Best Buy and Geek Squad that orders the companies to "immediately stop pirating, using, copying, and/or distributing all unlicensed version of the Winternals Software."

The judge further order that "the defendants and anybody privity or controlled by the defendants shall not discard, waste or destroy any evidence whatsoever relating to the use of any unlicensed versions of the Winternals Software. It is further ordered the defendants withing twenty day immediately deliver to the Court for impoundment all unlicensed copies of the Winternals Software."